NSW: Sydney heart research 'saving lives'

AAP General News (Australia)
08-19-2007
NSW: Sydney heart research 'saving lives'

Eds: Embargoed until 0001 AEST Sunday, August 19



SYDNEY, Aug 19 AAP - Sending medical data to hospitals prior to patient arrival is
saving the lives of heart attack sufferers, Sydney researchers say.

Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital has found the early triage system helped save the
lives of about five per cent of heart attack victims who would have otherwise died.

Using mobile phone technology, ambulance officers transmit a diagnostic electrocardiogram
(ECG) to the hospital before leaving the patient's home or initial point of treatment.

The information helps determine what the best treatment option is and where the patient
should be taken to receive the most effective care.

Patients can be sent directly to the operating theatre, bypassing the emergency department
and saving up to 100 minutes of vital treatment time.

"The early triage approach has reduced the time to opening blocked arteries," lead
research author Dr Greg Nelson said.

"The first two hours are critical to a heart patient's life or death.

"The results indicate the paradigm of treating heart attacks should change."

As part of the emergency triage acute myocardial infarction pilot program 40 ambulances
were fitted with high-tech ECG machines.

The program has been running at Royal North Shore Hospital since 2004, treating about
200 patients.

The research findings have this month been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal.

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